bangernomics, where do you draw the line?

[theorganist]

Maybe I am strange but if I have a modernish car worth £300 and it is generally in good condition,(i.e. not rotten and mechanically seems strong) but needs £350 to get it MOT'd as it needs a few jobs doing then I would get it fixed as what is the alternative? Spend the same (or a little more) on a replacement which may in fact be in worse condition. If £350 gets me another years motoring out of it then that is not a bad deal in my mind.

 

If it is a "classic" car then I would definitely spend the money on it, unless it was very rotten, then I would sell it on rather than scrap it.

[bolognasal spray]

Let me just quickly try some really rough actual bangernomics calculations on my 2004 Focus, which i bought new for £10k on the nose. That's £714 per year so far. But of course, with services and sundry consumables such as tyres, callipers (lol), a catalytic converter or two, bulbs, etc. etc. It's arguably more like a grand a year.

 

I feel like I'm not doing very well here.

 

And that's before tax, insurance and fuel!

 

Even modest motoring is bloody dear.

[pandamonium]

Suzuki Wagon R+

Purchase price £299

Collection : £40ish

Money spent so far: £75 (brakes, wipers, lambda, cosmetics)

Value to me: £414

 

Market value if I sold now: £300 - £800. Its a very varied market. So I might gain, or I might lose. 

 

But in it's current state, it should be good until the next MOT, which is August 2019.

 

So it makes more sense to keep it until then, and see what happens. I'd not make enough money from selling to replace it with anything better. But even if it survives only until the next MOT, that's a year's motoring for less than 40 quid per month. That's bangernomics at its best. 

[Kiltox]

Suzuki Wagon R+

Purchase price £299

Collection : £40ish

Money spent so far: £75 (brakes, wipers, lambda, cosmetics)

Value to me: £414

 

Market value if I sold now: £300 - £800. Its a very varied market. So I might gain, or I might lose.

 

But in it's current state, it should be good until the next MOT, which is August 2019.

 

So it makes more sense to keep it until then, and see what happens. I'd not make enough money from selling to replace it with anything better. But even if it survives only until the next MOT, that's a year's motoring for less than 40 quid per month. That's bangernomics at its best.

Number plates - £12

 

[Wilko220]

Suzuki Wagon R+

Purchase price £299

Collection : £40ish

Money spent so far: £75 (brakes, wipers, lambda, cosmetics)

Value to me: £414

 

 

 

Looking effortlessly cool and irresistible to the ladies: priceless.

[mrbenn]

I'm rubbish at bangernomics. This "issue" with my current car is that I still like it, so won't skimp on it.

 

2003 Ford Focus.

 

Bought August 2012 for £1500 with ~61k miles. Now worth perhaps £400 with ~117k miles.

 

Has cost me money on three occasions:

 

1) January 2015 - valve went in head, lost compression on cyl 4, £720 to repair which included a new timing belt kit (belt was done 2 years previous but had to come off to do the work). I don't regret this as the car was worth over 1k and had decent tyres, new MOT and no other issues. I did scope a replacement car locally (same but 05 plate) which would have cost £1500 and needed cambelt and service, so really a £2k option. Man maths - I saved £1300.

 

2) July 2015 - 2 hangers broke off exhaust plus back box blowing. Was cash rich but time poor so went to local Kwik Fit. Forget the exact bill but it was over £400 for full exhaust inc cat. Should perhaps have used my usual place, would probably have been a bit cheaper. Actually, I reckon they'd have welded me a couple of hangers on and just replaced the back box. Not knocking Kwik Fit, was an in and out job which I needed at the time.

 

3) 2018 - this has been an uncomfortable year, in retrospect.

 

March - service, 4 x tyres, bit of welding, new brake pipe and fluid: approx £700. Fine, all wear and tear, tyres were decent brand.

 

September - lower rear suspension arms going rotten. Not a nice job, can be very labour heavy. The garage I use did a good job and charged me much less labour than I'd feared but the parts prices were high. £506.

 

Could have been a good time to bail out around Feb 2018 I think, but I didn't really want to. Plus wasn't prepared to spend the wedge on something decent to replace it.

 

Current issues? Clutch is original on 117k miles so perhaps not unreasonable to expect it'll need doing at some point - though it isn't slipping. Noticed a tiny bit of bubbling on 1 x front wing and 1 x rear arch (underneath has been undersealed so not too worried about that), very slight whine from somewhere in the engine bay - suspect A/C pump but not sure. Being a bit picky there.

 

It's MOT performance helps keeps it fairly safe tbh!

 

ETA: had a new instrument cluster at 32k miles so dash display incorrect, sadly.

[pandamonium]

Number plates - £12

 

Thought you hadn't noticed .. 

[Bren]

Our passat is due for a timing belt and water pump. The body is good save for the tailgate which has the usual rust. One of the back doors will not lock with the fob.

 

It has a lowish 131 k and if something went bang it would still sell for spares. I will probably spend on the belt but nothing on bodywork.

[sierraman]

£506 for some wishbones replacing! Fucking hell thats dear. £60 for a pair of arms, another £10 on new bolts if your feeling flush, where did the other £400 odd quid go?

[mrbenn]

£506 for some wishbones replacing! Fucking hell thats dear. £60 for a pair of arms, another £10 on new bolts if your feeling flush, where did the other £400 odd quid go?

 

The arms were rather on the dear side at £187 plus VAT for the pair. I know this garage, they wouldn't screw me. For example, the two bits of welding they've done on this car was labour only, and they charged for far less time that it would have taken them. Plus they've only charged me 3 hours labour which is nothing for this job so I guess its basically their supplier that wasn't competitive on this occasion...

[sierraman]

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Genuine-Comline-Front-Axle-Left-Suspension-Track-Control-Arm-Wishbone/390971306440?fits=Model%3AFocus%7CCars+Year%3A1998&epid=1334623635&hash=item5b07b4b1c8:g:2CMAAOSwHEZZeMQz

[mrbenn]

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Genuine-Comline-Front-Axle-Left-Suspension-Track-Control-Arm-Wishbone/390971306440?fits=Model%3AFocus%7CCars+Year%3A1998&epid=1334623635&hash=item5b07b4b1c8:g:2CMAAOSwHEZZeMQz

 

 

September - lower rear suspension arms going rotten. Not a nice job, can be very labour heavy. The garage I use did a good job and charged me much less labour than I'd feared but the parts prices were high. £506.

 

 

This is the rear arms we're talking about, rather different kettle of fish from the front. Everything siezed into place, inc bushings. Springs need to be compressed and removed, everything gets cut off and tracking reset at the same time.

[sierraman]

Yes they are a shitty job.

[Captain Furious]

Mine nearly got a line drawn through it with a wrecking ball this morning, went out to go to work, turned the key - just a click. As though it had a flat battery but it most definitely hasn’t.

 

Starter motor was new 3 months ago and the last one failed in exactly the same way. So I ring into work...get the spanner’s out and remove it, worried it may be the flywheel failing and expecting it to be full of debris. Nope, clean as a whistle still. Test it on the floor with a set of jump leads and it whizzes over just fine - whereas the last one was dead when it was out of the car too.

 

Put it back on the car, starts every time, so now I guess it’s starter motor roulette until the next time it decides to go on strike, which will no doubt be in the work car park or after I’ve stallled it in traffic on the M6 or something.

 

This car is literally on its last life.

[sierraman]

Poor connection? Can you hear the solenoid clicking?

[Captain Furious]

Yeah the solenoid was clicking, it just wouldn’t engage. It possibly is a poor connection or Earth because a few times it’s been a bit lethargic turning over even though the battery is also new. I don’t know where though because the loom looks in good nick and all the earth straps are present and correct.

 

It does seem to turn over better now, but it’s that loss of faith, especially now winter is well and truly on its way.

 

My first reaction was to go on here and autotrader to see what was available, but there is pretty much nothing I fancy locally for less than a grand. I just need to eek one last winter out of it and then replace it with something entirely better*

[Captain Furious]

Problem is that the rest of the car is actually pretty mint and I do enjoy driving it, I just don’t like having to wonder if I’m getting home under my own steam tonight or a big yellow taxi ride. And tbh I’m bored of pouring money into it

 

[The Reverend Bluejeans]

In 2002-3 I toiletted 3 grand on an 840Ci. Because frankly, I really wanted one and I had the money so fuck it. Depreciation, tax, insurance etc cost be almost exactly three big ones and I did perhaps 4000 miles in the one year I had it. 

If it's something I really want as a toy or a 'going out' car then fuck it, why not? But an everyday car? Not me m8. I'm a beast with cars - maintenance yes, cleaning them - that's what the Kosovo car wash is for, regular as clockwork every three months.

[sierraman]

Whether it needs it or not.

[bolognasal spray]

I haven't washed my car in two and a half years - i.e. about 25k miles. I have wiped the glass and lights a few times though.

[BorniteIdentity]

ProjectAvensis™ started out as a cost saving exercise.  Well, actually, it started out because my last car was broken and I only had to spend what I could sell the busted one for.

 

I bought it for £900 with a brand new MOT on it and 6 months tax.  I know I've banged the drum about this old thing, but it's seriously brilliant.  It's JUST comfortable enough, JUST economical enough and JUST big enough with the saloon boot.  But its reliability has been unquestionable; I've had it over 5 years now and we're now on 235,000 miles.  It's had a clutch on my watch at 180,000 because I thought 'Why not?'  It's a consumable on any car.  I could have chopped it in for another old crate (for the same money) and found myself in exactly the same boat.  It's also had two timing belts.  Who throws a car away over a fucking rubber band?  That's not responsible or, in my opinion, level headed either.

 

What will signal the end of it?  Boredom probably (but I negate that by jumping in another car for a week and then i'm excited about getting back to it).  An accident probably??  But I can't see anything totally grenading.  I've got another engine earmarked should it ever need one - so we'll just keep trucking.

 

Bangernomics?  No.  'Durable Motoring' ?  Yes.

[mrbenn]

Agree entirely on the clutch and timing belt points. I'm still slightly haunted by that Ireland reg'd Avensis abandoned at the services you posted a while back.

[sierraman]

Hmm sometimes you’ve got to look at the bigger picture. £300 might be well spent if the rest of the car is really good. Otherwise it’s sometimes a slippery slope.

 

Clutches are a difficult one. Once you start taking gearboxes off all sorts of other shit can crop up along the way adding to the bill, once the gearboxes off and the garage tell you it wants anew DMF or the gearbox seal is leaking you are tied by that point. I’d avoid it personally.

[mrbenn]

I haven't washed my car in two and a half years - i.e. about 25k miles. I have wiped the glass and lights a few times though.

 

Surely that's the kiss of death on a 2000's Ford? I didn't wash mine for a few weeks over summer when it was very dry but the brake dust on the front wheels started to make me itch.

[BorniteIdentity]

Agree entirely on the clutch and timing belt points. I'm still slightly haunted by that Ireland reg'd Avensis abandoned at the services you posted a while back.

 

Did I tell you that I spoke to the recovery company about it?  Turns out the family were travelling home and the clutch went. They got recovered to the services as they were in a roadworks section near J12 of the M1.  They then got a taxi back to family and flew home out of Stansted leaving the car exactly where it was left at Toddington.  

 

I know I'm a soft old sod, but it bothered me.  It still had children's apparel inside and all of the trappings of modern life.  It's not QUITE like Chernobyl (!) but it was weird to think that one minute it was a faithful old woofer, and the next it was given up on. 

 

Shame.

[mrbenn]

You did, I remember the story well! To me, that's like abandoning a faithful family friend, and over a wear and tear issue too. I can understand that a DMF equipped car needing a clutch would sting, but at least have it transported home. And surely you'd take your stuff out of it? Sounds like they just simply walked away.....

[Bren]

Our passat had two tyres this month - you can have this with every car. Cost £100. The previous month it was an alternator. £175.

 

A clutch and dmf would cost about £800. On a sub £1k car. By this point I would be out.

[New POD]

Did I tell you that I spoke to the recovery company about it? Turns out the family were travelling home and the clutch went. They got recovered to the services as they were in a roadworks section near J12 of the M1. They then got a taxi back to family and flew home out of Stansted leaving the car exactly where it was left at Toddington.

 

I know I'm a soft old sod, but it bothered me. It still had children's apparel inside and all of the trappings of modern life. It's not QUITE like Chernobyl (!) but it was weird to think that one minute it was a faithful old woofer, and the next it was given up on.

 

Shame.

There's a silver vectra at Knutsford northbound services. It's not moved in weeks.

[HMC]

The gold forum Xantia has lots of feelgood receipts in its history- recent spheres all round, recent cambelt, clutch not so long ago etc. That’s winning at Bangernomics on the surface but at heart I know if I like something I’ll just spend the dosh anyway without too much hand wringing.

 

[Liggle]

Boredom and inability to tolerate knocks/bangs/noises mean I suck at Bangernomics. 

 

My Dad on the other hand has a 'if its not broke don't fix it' mentality, he's put 115k miles on his 2011 Citroen C1 and its been serviced three times, only 1 fault so far (indicator stalk) is £20 to tax and does 50 MPG minimum. Has cost ~20p per mile for absolutely everything which is mental for a car he bought new.